Conversations with Marlys Staley

Today we’d like to introduce you to Marlys Staley. Them and their team share their story with us below:

Circle Tail was established in 1997 by Marlys Staley, who was a physical therapist who specialized in burn and wound care for 18 years. She was inspired to change careers after touring a training center for guide dogs in Florida, which compelled her to apply her background to a brand-new profession: training service dogs. Circle Tail’s first facility was just a barn on Staley’s Pleasant Plain property.

Today, the property has an Early Development Center which houses pups and expectant moms, and a Landen Learning Center which houses adult dogs and provides a comfortable space for staff and volunteers. The Learning Center increases Circle Tail’s capacity for training and enhances the lives of our dogs and the people they serve. We have a modern training and education center where we perform pet dog training. The education center also has a grooming station and a small dog supply store.

Marlys is the founder and Executive Director of Circle Tail. A Physical Therapist by profession, Marlys came up with the idea for Circle Tail after touring a training center for guide dogs in Florida and learning of the great need for assistance dogs. The career change drew on her background and experiences with persons with disabilities and her knowledge of the psychological trauma and financial hardships they face.

Through incredible effort and dedication, Marlys has propelled Circle Tail forward. She is a professional member of the International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP). In 2012, she was awarded IACP Ambassador Status and served on the IACP Dog Trainer’s Certification Committee for 8 years.

In addition, she is an AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator and a Certified PetTech PetSaver Instructor. She lives onsite at Circle Tail to ensure the dogs are cared for in any type of emergency. While she used to be an ultra-marathon runner, she now enjoys brisk walking and hiking with the dogs. Her home is filled with the joy of 2 German Shepherds, an Irish Wolf Hound, and an occasional service dog in training.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am most proud that Circle Tail transformed from a barn with few amenities for the dogs and evolved into an amazing campus that supports the environment, dogs, and people. We have an amazing prison dog training program that enables inmates to find purpose in their situation by socializing, caring for, and training our dogs/pups in training

Our partnerships of dogs with people with disabilities and providing facility dogs in schools to provide emotional, social, physical, and cognitive support to the students is extremely rewarding.

We all have different ways of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Dogs and humans have a mutually beneficial partnership.

Contact Info:

• Website: circletail.org
• Instagram: @circletailinc
• Facebook: facebook.com/circletailinc
• Twitter: @circletail
• Youtube: @circletail1
• Other: https://circletail.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/annual2021.pdf